Protect Her
by Stormyskies89
Summary: Adam had to make one promise…just one. Adam/OC.


**Title:** Protect Her

**Summary:** Adam had to make one promise…just one.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own! Thank-you.

**A/N:** NO FLAMES! Not Accepted.

**Pairing:** Adam/OC and slight Danny/Lindsay.

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><p>14-year-old Daniel Messer tried to curl into himself. His father's beatings had gotten worse. The drink made him angry for no reason. You hadn't done your homework, you got a beating. You hadn't unloaded the dishwasher, you got a beating. Danny's baby sister, 11-year-old Isabella, used to be beaten by her father a lot but since Danny knew he'd started to take the blame and the beatings. He could hear his sister sobbing in her room next-door to his own. His father had yelled at her when she'd come home late from school. She'd stood at the end of the driveway chatting to her friends who lived just one street away. Everyone knew about the Messer's reputation. The oldest son (Louie) ran with the Tanglewood Boys, the middle son (Daniel) was a nice boy who wanted to be like his older brother but never saw the real point in the Gang scene. Then there was the youngest. Isabella. She was a pretty girl she looked every bit to be of the Italian heritage and her looks showed that she had inherited it all from her Grandmother. With her olive skin and dark features she <em>was<em> Italian. Everything an Italian was, Isabella possessed.

Danny looked up as the door to his room opened. Isabella poked her head in and then closed the door behind her as she came in. She squeezed herself down next to Danny. He'd sat down between his desk and his bed. She squeezed herself in between him and bed. Danny let her lay her head on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry Danny. It's my fault he hit you." She whispered.

Danny shook his head "no, don't say that Izzy. It's not your fault at all." He replied kissing the top of her head softly, he loved the way her hair smelt; it reminded him of their Grandmother. Isabella was to be looked after by Danny and Louie. It was their secret oath to each other, if Louie was out and Izzy got in trouble Danny would take the punches. And Louie would any other time. It was just the way it worked. Isabella always told Danny it was her fault when she had caused her father's anger. He'd hit her too many times to count and when Danny had seen the bruises he'd taken the next beating. And he'd keep doing in until either his father died or Isabella was out of harm's way.

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><p><em><strong>20 Years Later<strong>_

Isabella Messer rubbed her forearm slowly, trying to reduce the red hand mark there, glancing at herself in the mirror she frowned. The hand mark on her cheek was still blazing red. He was bound to notice. The bruises on her jaw were there too. Her forearm had the shape of his hand burned into it and she could still feel the bone in her arm snapping even though the pain had dulled, it was still broken. She sighed as she sat back down in the waiting room for the doctor to come and cast her arm. She looked down at the makeshift cast she herself had done. She had tied her scarf around her neck carefully with some difficulty before she had managed to ease her arm into it like a sling.

"Messer?" She looked up and slowly stood up; the Doctor took one look at her and glanced at the nurse. Isabella Messer had been a regular for the last 18 months, ever since she'd moved back home. Her stepfather was no better than her biological father had been. She followed the doctor quickly down to his rooms.

"What's the damage this time?" He asked, he knew Isabella well enough that she could tell him what had happened.

"Broken Arm. That's the worst. The rest I can deal with." She told him, he nodded and turned to get the plaster ready to cast her arm. She knew the drill by now and he'd give her a real sling.

"You did the right thing. Coming straight here Isabella." He said idly as he started to set her arm. She sighed heavily.

"I'm going to New York in 3 weeks." She told him, he smiled at her as he continued to cast her injury.

"Well then two weeks after being there get someone to check if it's healed. It should be six weeks in the cast and then another 2 weeks of strength regain. A stress ball is good for that. It helps the muscles and tendons regain all their previous strength." He smiled softly as he finished setting her arm. She agreed that she'd get it all checked out and she'd regain the strength in her arm as well as she could. As she left the surgery she saw another girl, teenager, going in with her mother and the girl was holding her arm and it looked exactly like Isabella's had the first time she'd ever had her arm broken. Painful memories were what Isabella was leaving behind in favour of New York.

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><p><em><strong>Three Weeks Later<strong>_

"Mac? This is the new Tech I was talking about. My little sister, Isabella." The ex-marine looked up from his desk to see Danny Messer standing next to a girl who, if Danny hadn't said she was his sister, Mac never would have guessed. Where Danny had blue eyes, Isabella had brown, where Danny had brownish blond hair, Isabella had dark brown, her hair was pulled back but Mac could see it was long. She was slender, like Danny was lean and she wasn't muscular as such but Mac was willing to bet she had some strength in her. For siblings, they looked nothing alike.

"What happened to your arm?" Mac asked when he spotted the cast.

"Oh, I fell down the stairs back on Staten. I'm a bit of klutz with stairs." She said as way of explanation. There was a distinct Italian tweak in her voice, as if she often spoke the language and the accent had eased its way in. She stood barely an inch taller than Danny, making her seem older.

Danny was in charge of showing Isabella around and when the tour had finished she was to be put to work with Adam, whom she hadn't met yet. Danny stopped at the door, when Isabella caught up, Adam was singing along with his iPod. The pair watched in silence, until Adam spotted them and froze. He removed the earplugs and flushed pink when he realized that Isabella was standing there with Danny.

"How long were you standing there?" He asked.

"Long enough to know that you can't sing." Danny said. Isabella stepped past Danny to the lab then turned to look at her brother.

"Mi non avete detto che lo cantasse," She stated in Italian. Danny rolled his eyes, he knew what this was. Adam didn't know any Italian apart from the names of Italian dishes.

"Gli non ho detto perché non ho saputo che neanche." Danny replied in flawless Italian. Isabella giggled.

"Fosse genere di cute comunque!" She said turning back to look at Adam. Danny sighed heavily and turned to leave.

"Non parla italiano, sorella. Sia piacevole lui." He warned before walking off. Isabella turned and grinned disarmingly at Adam.

"Isabella Messer, at your service." She said with a wink.

"The new Tech. I'm Adam." He said, his voice oddly strained, "what language was that?"

"Italian. Do you me to teach you some of it?" Adam liked the sound of that but suggested, with a slight stutter, that they get to work. She agreed with another disarming smile. For Adam this was going to be a long day.

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><p>"Perchè avete fatto quello?" Danny snapped at Isabella in the locker room that evening after work.<p>

She frowned at him, "Che Cosa?" She replied confused.

"Colloquio a me in Italiano! Non ho spoke che durante gli anni!" He snapped.

"Perfettamente. È come la guida della bicicletta, Danny, voi mai foreget." She told him shrugging on her jacket. She smiled at her brother before striding out of the locker room. She sent a charming smile at Hawkes and Jo as they passed her, she sent another charming smile at Mac as she passed him, the disarming smile and wink went to Adam. Danny sighed. It was going be a long week.

Isabella had already put her little charm on Adam; it had been the same at school. Danny had seen it. It had been like that with her teachers and the boys that had teased Danny. Isabella's charm let her get away with anything and get anything she wanted to swing her way. At first Danny had been stunned by it, then impressed and finally it started to get really annoying. But no one could do anything to warn the next victim. Danny was going to have to speak with her and tell her what for. She was going to have to be told the rules of the crime lab. If she liked someone…keep it subtle. He and Lindsay could teach her that…if Lindsay would stop glaring at him whenever he spoke to Isabella. He had to sort all this out. He wasn't good with female angst. And Lindsay was just plain scary when she got angry.

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><p>"Adam?" The young Lab tech looked up to find himself face-to-face with Danny.<p>

"Yeah Danny?" He asked, his voice shaking.

"Do you like my sister?" The older man asked.

"Isabella? Sure she's cool." Adam shrugged.

Danny pinched the bridge of his nose, "I did not want to revert to High School for this…do you _like_ like her?" The Italian half whispered. Adam looked terrified.

"I guess so." The younger man said again.

"No, it's yes or no Adam." Danny said voice dangerously low.

"Yes. Okay? Yes I like Isabella. Is that enough?" Adam suddenly said standing up and looking straight at Danny, his hesitancy gone.

"You hurt her, you will _be_ hurt." Danny said before walking out.

"What was that about?" Isabella asked as she entered just seconds later.

"Your brother just got up in my face." He told her with a sigh.

"About us?" Isabella asked. Adam nodded. Isabella had kept her relationship with Adam on the DL because of Danny's protective nature. She had to sort it out and straighten out Danny's information. He probably thought that Adam had seduced her or something. Adam was basically an adorable dork, but a loveable one at that. He had a romantic side too. Isabella had seen it many times. The flowers she found on her locker with small notes attached. It was sweet and coy, just like Adam himself.

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><p>"Danny!" The Italian turned to see his sister running towards him, it was one weeks since his confrontation with Adam and just 2 days since he spoke with his sister, now she stood in front of him holding a white tulip in her hand. She held it up for him to see.<p>

"Forgiveness? Really Danny?" It had been jammed in her locker and the small note simply said 'I'm sorry Izzy'.

"How do you know it was me?" Danny said smiling his trademark crocked smile.

"No one else calls me Izzy but you D." Isabella said.

"Adam had to make me one promise, Bella. Just one." He said.

She cocked an eyebrow, "Oh really? How did he put it?"

"He said, and quote: I swear to you, Danny, I will always protect her. That was all he had to say to me Bella. That was all." He said kissing her forehead softly.

"Danny…you're a dork, just like Adam, you're a dork…but that is what I love about you both. You're both so adorable it's hard to be mad at you and near impossible to stay mad at you!" She smiled giving him a big hug. Knowing now that her brother didn't need to protect her anymore. That was now up to Adam and she knew he'd do his very best to protect her.

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><p><strong>Italian Translations:<strong>

_Mi non avete detto che lo cantasse_ – You didn't tell me he could sing.

_Gli non ho detto perché non ho saputo che neanche_ – I didn't tell you, because I didn't know either.

_Fosse genere di cute comunque_ – He is kinda cute too!

_Non parla italiano, sorella. Sia piacevole lui_ – He doesn't speak Italian, Sister. Be nice to him.

_Perchè avete fatto quello?_ – Why did you do that?

_che cosa?_ – Do what?

_Colloquio a me in italiano! Non ho spoke che durante gli anni!_ – Speak to me in Italian! I heaven't spoken that in years!

_perfettamente. È come la guida della bicicletta, Danny, voi mai foreget_._ – _You did perfectly. It's like riding a bicycle, Danny, you never forget.

White Tulips mean Forgiveness.


End file.
